How has Instagram changed the ‘restaurant game’?

We all know someone who has to take a photo of their food before they eat it. If it’s not on Instagram, you didn’t eat it, right?

Instagram has brought upon a new generation of food bloggers who travel across the world in search of the most aesthetically pleasing and delicious dishes. For restaurants, cafes, bars, etc., it has made presentation more important than ever. Some eateries even employ amateur photographers to take incredible photos that will entice new customers.

Instagram has also inspired innovation. Burgers and milkshakes are taller than they have ever been. It has become a game of who can create the next best edible thing.

For customers, Instagram has been a platform to check out what dishes a restaurant has to offer. Through location and hashtag searches, they can see exactly what they’re in for before making a decision to physically go there.

A clever way restaurants have drawn in new customers is by running competitions with Instagram-famous food bloggers. It most cases they ask users to follow both accounts and tag one or two friends in the post to go in the running to win a prize, usually a free meal.

Burgers of Melbourne is a great example of this. They have teamed up with a number of burger restaurants in Melbourne to run giveaways, increasing their brand awareness and the number of customers that walk through their doors.

Breakfast in Melbourne is another prime example of a food blogger ‘doing it well’. It has become the ‘go to’ account for Melbournites who enjoy eating out for brekkie and the perfect, free promotional spot for cafes.

What about the restaurants themselves? Here are three examples of restaurants in Melbourne that are absolutely nailing it. Quality photos, spectacular food presentation and relatable to their target audience. They make you salivate just looking at their photos.

If we’ve learnt anything, the best way to get more people walking through your cafe doors is by promoting yourself on Instagram. With their new Business Accounts, customers will be able to contact you directly through the platform to make a booking or enquiry, so if you’re not on it, get on it!